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Charities need to work harder to improve their online donation rates, according to new research in the UK.

The research, by digital design solutions company, Nomensa, says that online donating is an area with huge potential to improve current performance.

In the UK, the report says online donations account for just 7% of total giving and currently 47% of donors give up before they have made a donation because the online journey is not intuitive and engaging.

The report says charities need to stop copying from each other and start learning about how donors actually behave in order to increase levels of giving.

Nomensa chief executive Simon Norris says: "It is essential to understand the donor’s motivations and emotional mindset so that each step along the online donation process can support, reassure and enhance their experience. If this doesn’t happen, nearly half of all potential donors will walk away."

The report says that providing donors with an experience that meets their expectations and makes them feel good about their donation will have many benefits including:

Increasing the number and value of online donations

Increasing the likelihood that a donor will “spread the word” and thus bring potential new donors to the charity

Making the donor more likely to support the charity again in the future, whether with a subsequent donation or through a different commitment such as volunteering or campaigning

Simon Norris believes that "Understanding the psychology of the donor at each stage of the process is the key to ensuring that your website supports them effectively at every stage of the process, rather than getting in their way.”

User research and usability testing can both help to ensure this, along with following best practice guidelines.

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